Blended boost

Seventeen-year-old Michael Sousa, a football player at Tokay High School in his senior year, starts his busy day off with a smoothie.

Jo Ann Kirby

Seventeen-year-old Michael Sousa, a football player at Tokay High School in his senior year, starts his busy day off with a smoothie.

It's a thirst-quenching DIY meal of a drink that is packed full of protein, vitamins and antioxidants to give him the energy he needs.

And it's simple to make.

Michael's mom just throws a few key ingredients into the blender, not worrying about strictly measuring.

"I use orange juice, nonfat, plain Greek yogurt, frozen mixed berries - blueberries, blackberries, raspberries - and frozen sliced bananas," said Cindy Sousa, a Stockton mother of two. "The bananas don't have to be frozen but it turns out thicker and colder if they are."

The best part is that smoothies are a great way to utilize overripe fruit that's still good but might not look appealing.

"When the bananas get too ripe, I just peel them and slice them and freeze them in a Ziploc bag," said Jennifer Maroney, a Stockton mother of three. "I also freeze strawberries when they get too ripe."

Maroney said making smoothies also introduces fruits into her kids' diet that they won't normally eat.

"My kids won't eat blueberries, not even in blueberry pancakes, and I have heard blueberries are very good for your memory," she said of the anti-aging properties found in the fruit's antioxidant quotient. "I put blueberries and raspberries in smoothies and they don't mind."

Timaree Hagenburger, a Lodi mother of two and nutrition professor at Cosumnes River College, said smoothies are fun because you can let your imagination run wild with ingredients.

Start out with a creamy base of almond milk, soy milk, yogurt, juice, or silken tofu.

Don't have frozen fruit? Use fresh and add some ice cubes to make it extra frosty. Cut back on calories by skipping ingredients such as sorbets or juices packed with added sugar. Include low-cal mild-flavored veggies such as zucchini, a few leaves of iron-rich fresh spinach or peeled cucumber that are easily blended with fruits.

Whole flax seeds boost the fiber content. Bananas and even avocado contain potassium. Vitamin C-rich fruits include citrus and strawberries. Berries such as blueberries or raspberries add interesting texture and are a bonus because they are full of antioxidants. Feeling extra adventurous? Throw in a bit of kale or chard.

In the hot summer, smoothies are a cool, refreshing snack - the perfect alternative to high-calorie shakes and sugar-laden blended drinks.

Leigh Hobson, a Lodi fitness instructor and mother who is pregnant with her second child, loves the do-it-yourself aspect and said she "usually just throws things in" the blender.

"I like to start with coconut water," she said. "I almost always add half a frozen banana for sweetness and creaminess, then berries or peaches or mangoes. Whatever I have."

She also tosses in some spinach.

"You can't even taste it," she said. "I like to add a protein powder, Juice Plus+ or Greek yogurt or tofu. I've even added oatmeal or almond meal."

Smoothies are simple and a great way to pack in a couple of servings of fruit and veggies.

"Unless you have a very powerful blender, you will want to start with the soft ingredients or liquid in the bottom and then add the frozen ingredients so that the blades can work easily," Hagenburger advised.